Insert Title Here
by BookishGray
Summary: The reader is stuck in Gravity Falls for the summer. You think it'll be the worst summer ever, but meeting the Pines has been the best thing to happen to you yet. Living through Gideon, Bill Cipher, and all the monsters will make this the best summer you've ever had! Reader-insert fanfic. Starts in season 1 and transitions into season 2 later. Review with suggestions please!
1. You've Been Friend-ed

Its official. I can't stand it here. I miss Washington, I miss the coast, I miss the occasional trips to Canada or Seattle. What I'll probably never miss is Gravity Falls, Oregon.

"It'll be fun," Mom said. "It'll be a great experience," Dad said. "Get out of the house," is that they were trying to say. See, this summer - for whatever reason - they thought I needed to get out a little more. I had few friends from school and spent a lot of time drawing, reading or writing; you know, quiet things. So to 'fix' that, my parents drove me down to the middle of Oregon from my home in Washington State to live with my crazy aunt Susan I've only met once or twice. From what I remember, she lives alone with a hundred cats. She has one lazy eye and works at a diner and wears too much makeup. She's also kind of an oblivious idiot. Good thing I can take care of myself. Bad thing that I'm looking for at least a little adventure while I'm stuck here.

"Oh, sweetie!" Aunt Susan yelled and ran at me as soon as I got out of the car. She squeezed the breath out of me in a hug and gave me a wet, lipstick-marked kiss on my forehead. As soon as she turned her back, I rubbed it off with the back of my hand, leaving a red smudge on my head and hand.

I've been here three days, and it's been nothing but boredom. I thought maybe Aunt Susan would finally let me go to town on my own today, and meet the few kids my age she says live in this dead-end town.

But no, she wants me to go with her to work at Greasy's Diner. I think I might explode of boredom soon...

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><p>I'm sitting alone at a booth in the back of the restaurant, a heaping mountain of pancakes spilling over the side of my plate. They taste like Heaven and syrup. I observe the other patrons around me: two police officers are whooping and hollering at the counter over their meal; a burly man with a beard the color of carrots sits at a table a little too small for him with his kids, three boys and one girl; a man with a freakishly large head sitting alone at a little table. There are some others not as noteworthy. I make a mental note to talk to the bored-looking redhead sitting with the burly man and brothers later; she seems alright.<p>

I barely pick at my plate, delicious as it is. Just when I think I can't take this anymore, the bell above the door chimes again. I lazily glare up at the door, but when my eyes focus on the new customers, my breath leaves me. Kids! My age!

Two kids, a boy and a girl, walk in, both laughing and joking around. A grumpy man in a fez shuffles in after them. The girl is wearing a bright sweater with a logo I recognize. Good to know she's a fangirl like me. The boy, presumably her brother, is wearing a red T-shirt and a navy vest. A blue and white truckers' cap sits snugly on his messy brown hair. His brown eyes meet mine for a brief second, and I look away quickly. I can feel the blood rushing to my cheeks, and I bury my face in a menu.

They sit in the booth in front of me, and Aunt Susan ambles out of the kitchen to take their orders. "Well, if it isn't my favorite family!" she exclaims, ruffling the girl's hair. "Let's see..." She points to the girl. "Maggie!" Then the boy. "Dippy!" Judging by their faces, those weren't really their names. And then she pointed at the man. "And Stanford Pines!" The flirty look she gives the man kinda weirds me out... Wait... This isn't the 'Stan' she keeps calling, is it?

Aunt Susan sees me out of the corner of her good eye and drags me out of my booth. "This is my niece, (Y/N)! She's staying with me for the summer!" She holds me by my elbow, forcing me to stand in front of the Pines. I look down, not allowing myself to bring my eyes up to theirs.

"Um... Hi..." I mumble uselessly, staring intently at my wringing my hands. I try to make eye contact with them for a split second. Bad idea. Stan looks bored, the girl is smiling all friendly-like, and the boy gives me an intense stare, like he was analyzing me; sorting out where to place me in his head. A flicker of amusement washes over his face for a moment when he realizes I'm looking at him, and I focus on the ground immediately. I try to back up a bit, but I step on a loose napkin on the floor, falling on my rear. On the way down, I grab for something to catch myself on, but I end up accidentally knocking over a glass of water from the table. The cup shatters and water is thrown all over me. I quickly stand up and let my gaze flicker up to my aunt for a second before I speak, my words tumbling out in rapid-fire succession, "Thanks for breakfast, Aunt Susan, but I think I left something at home. Also, my parents are expecting a call. Gotta go, bye!" I pull myself free of her glazed-over gaze and bee-line it for the door, trying to pretend the Pines – and everyone else in the diner – aren't staring at me as I go. So I'm bad with people… Is it really that obvious?

I tear my way out of the restaurant and down the sidewalk, avoiding sideways glances from the locals. I stop and pout on the bus stop bench at which Susan and I arrived earlier while coming here. On it sits a boy possibly my age, possibly a year younger. He's kind of chubby, and wearing this baby blue suit for whatever reason. His blonde hair is so poofy and light that it's almost white. He observes me curiously, absently fingering a sea green bolo tie. I swear I saw Aunt Susan wearing a pin on her shirt with his face on it.

"Hey there," he greets me finally, sticking out his pudgy hand for me to take. "I haven't seen you around here before. M'name's Gideon Gleeful. I don't reckon you've heard o' me, have you?" For living in Oregon, this kid has one heckuva Southern drawl.

"Not yet. Am I supposed to?" I ask, shaking his hand before dropping it abruptly. Ew. His palms sweat like crazy.

"Well, not to brag, but I'm a bit what you'd call a celebrity around here. They call me Lil' Gideon."

He looks at me smugly, as if I'm supposed to swoon and ask for an autograph. Instead, I say, "It's pretty easy to be a celebrity in this town, kid. Everybody knows everybody," rather gruffly. For God's sake, since coming to this town _I've_ practically been a celebrity. Gideon laughed, a rather adorable noise. He reminds me of a toddler in a way.

"People know me from all over, not just in Gravity Falls! I run the Tent of Telepathy on the east side of town. People come from miles away to see me. I'm a psychic." I sputter out a laugh. A psychic? This kid? Nah, I'm not buying it. Gideon raises an eyebrow at me outburst.

"Sorry, bub, but the paranormal isn't my thing," I tell him.

"Uh huh. Now if I weren't able to read your mind, how would I know that your name is (Y/N), you come from Washington, and you're staying with Lazy Susan - who's your aunt, by the way," he says matter-of-factly. I blink.

"Word travels fast in a small town."

Gideon smirks. "You just left Greasy's Diner in a huff 'cause your aunt embarrassed you in front of the Pines twins. You're runnin' but you don't know where to, probably home, am I right?" I stare at him with wide eyes. How could he possibly?... Alright this kid totally freaks me out now.

"Okay, uh, listen... Gideon - is it? Your little trick is cool and all, but I think I'm gonna head back to the diner now," I stammer, standing from the bench and backing up.

Gideon giggles again. "I think we'll meet again, (Y/N). We could be beneficial allies. And do somethin' right in this town and take my advice: stay away from Dipper Pines. The boy's nothin' but trouble."

I keep running. I don't care how embarrassed I was earlier; facing humiliation is better than facing Gideon. By the time I make it back to Greasy's Diner, the Pines are gone, their paid check and empty plates sitting on the table. I breathe a sigh of relief. I'm about to take my previous seat in the corner when someone calls my name.

"Hey, (Y/N), right?" a girl's voice says behind me. I turn to find the girl from before, the one with red hair in the cool boots.

"Yeah. Hi. You are...?"

"Wendy Corduroy. I like your jacket, new kid," she says, pointing to my [F/C] hoodie.

"Heh. Thanks."

"I was just gonna say welcome and sorry you're stuck in this dead beat down for the summer. It's practically as boring as you can get… unless you know the right people," Wendy winks.

"And those people are…?"

"Well, me for one, dork!" she teases, nudging my arm with her elbow. "I saw you looked pretty lonely over there, so we should chill sometime. In fact, I'm stuck working at some party at the Mystery Shack tonight. It would be epic if you came."

I tilt my head to the side slightly. "The Mystery Shack?" It sounds vaguely like the 'Tent of Telepathy' Gideon mentioned earlier.

"Yeah, it's this creepy old tourist trap on the south side of town. It's practically in the middle of the woods, and I work there during the summer. '_Mr. Mystery' _thought he could attract the younger crowd by throwing parties. This is the second one this summer. You should check it out," Wendy suggests. I nod thoughtfully.

"Yeah, that sounds alright." Wendy smiles at me.

"Cool. See ya there, then," she says, waving to me as she goes back to sit with her family. I wave in response. Maybe I might make some friends here after all…

Aunt Susan drops me off outside the Mystery Shack that night. I'm wearing a pair of skinny jeans and a new T-shirt and leather jacket. It's eight o'clock, and the sun is already setting, the temperature dropping like flies in the winter. A long line of people - ages 10 to 40 - are already in line to buy a ticket in, but Wendy (working the booth) catches my eye and motions me over.

"You know, I think the old man might let me let you in free if you were to do a favor for me," she offers, glancing off to the side slyly.

"Really?"

"Nah, probably not, but he'll never know," Wendy replies. I laugh. I like her, as much as she likes to bend the rules.

"Alright, what do I gotta do?" I ask.

"Your mission - should you choose to accept it - is to take this cup," she hands me a red Solo cup, "and refill it with punch. Then bring it back here within ten minutes." I smile.

"Easy enough," I agree.

"Atta kid," she encourages me, patting me on the back, "Now get outta here before he comes to check on things." I nod and head toward the front door. Inside, things are insane. Strobe lights are flashing, techno music is blaring, people are dancing all over the place.

I locate the punch table in the opposite corner of the room, and skirt around the edges of the dance floor to get to it. I'm in the middle of pouring Wendy's drink when I hear a slightly familiar voice. I peek over my shoulder. My eyes widen and all the breath leaves me at once. Standing behind me (and coming straight for me) are the two people I had hoped I wouldn't run into tonight. I hide my face as the Pines siblings walk nearer.

"...telling you: Grunkle Stan's gotta let me be DJ! I can rock this place!" the girl (Maggie?) yelled over the music.

Her brother (what did Gideon call him?) replies, "I dunno. We're stuck working here hard enough as it is. Having to DJ parties every two weeks? That doesn't sound too great." My face pales as a new realization washes over me: these two aren't just visiting here, them and Stan _wor_k (if not, live) here! Facing the embarrassment of my own social awkwardness twice-fold? No thanks! Plus, that creepy psychic-fraud-boy told me to stay away from the brother, whatever that meant.

I take the long way around the dance floor to leave the room, making sure not to run into the twins. Once outside, I take a deep, shaky breath. The crisp Oregon air is so cold and fresh that it burns my trachea as I inhale. I tend to avoid awkward situations at any cost.

When I hand the punch to Wendy, she expresses her utmost gratitude and takes a gulp of it. She must notice my anxiety because she asks if something is the matter. I simply tell her that strobe lights make me nauseous and that I'll be fine in a while. She nods and continues her job, making small talk with me as she collects tickets. As it turns out, she's 15 (three years older than me), her best friend her age is a girl named Tambri, this one guy named Robby has a _huge _crush on her, and her real best friends are a couple of 12-year-olds and a 22-year-old handyman named Soos.

"When you say 'a couple of 12-year-olds', you wouldn't happen to mean the Pines twins, do you?" I ask, my voice rising in pitch. Wendy nods.

"Yeah. You know them?" God, those two are everywhere!

"You could say that…" See, it isn't as much that I'm nervous about embarrassing myself anymore; I could live with that. Honestly, the two kind of intimidate me in some respects. I mean, that analyzing stare of the boy and the girl's sheer forwardness. Though, frankly, I don't even know what I'm so intimidated about! Maybe it's because I've always wanted a personality like the girl, or because the boy is kind of cute. I don't know.

I clear my throat and look down at my feet. "Hey, uh, Wendy, where's the bathroom?" Wendy gave me directions and I followed them to a T, looking out for the Pines as I went.

I step out of the bathroom, still as anxious as before. I'm just turning the corner to leave when my path is intersected and I'm accidentally pushed to the floor, my assailant landing on top of me. I feel something in my shoulder pop and cry out. When I open my eyes, I gasp. I'm staring into the big, brown eyes of the very boy I was trying to avoid. His name suddenly comes back to me: Dipper Pines.

"Ah! (Y/N), I'm so sorry!" Dipper gets off of me (I can breathe again!) and helps me up. I brush off my shirt and jacket with my (dominant hand), but as soon as I try to move my (non-dominant hand), a wave of pain travels down my arm. I bite my lip to keep from crying out again.

"It's alright. You're, er, you're Dipper... right?" He nods. "That can't be your real name," I remark. He raises his eyebrows and sort of smirks.

"My nickname? That's a long story. A very long, very stupid story," he answers, rubbing circles on the back of his neck.

"You think yours is bad? Between you and me, Aunt Susan has a habit of calling me (nickname). All the time," I admit, relaying my embarrassing pet name to him.

"Okay, so maybe mine isn't _that _bad..." he agrees. We both laugh for a while, then fall silent. Why was I so worried about talking to him earlier? He's really cool, compared to a klutz like me, and smart, too. We even love all the same books and TV shows and movies. He and his twin sister Mabel were the new kids on the block before I showed up. They're staying with Stanford Pines in his grungy little attraction for the summer. The more I talk to Dipper, the more hope I have that this summer won't be so bad after all. Before returning to the party, he even helped me bandage the injury in my arm.

"So what's your sister like?" I ask. We're sitting on the couch in the party room, sipping from pop cans Dipper snuck out of his "Grunkle" (meaning great-uncle, I learned) Stan's stash. The fizzy Dr. Pepper soda tickled my top lip as I drink.

"Well…" Dipper nods toward the said girl in the middle of dance floor, dancing with two friends. "Like that, I guess. It's funny; Mabel and I couldn't be any more different, yet we still get along so well."

"You two hang out a lot?"

"Yeah, pretty much every day." Wow, I wish I had a twin. That'd be so cool!

"What about your friends?" I inquire. Dipper creases his eyebrows.

"Well, there's Soos," he points to the chubby guy currently standing behind the special effect keyboard. He seems kind of immature, but in a good way. "And, uh, Wendy…" he blushes a bit at her name and looks away.

"And…?" I prompt him for more.

"And what?"

"Who else?" I clarify.

Dipper takes on the expression of a rejected puppy. "I dunno. Nobody else, I guess." So a kid of my own social level. I outstretch my hand for him to shake.

"Then consider yourself 'friended'." Dipper half-smiles and shakes my hand once. Yeah, I'm right. This summer will be great. Legendary.

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><p><strong>Okay, so this isn't my normal kind of fic. In fact, I've never published a reader-insert before so bear with me here. If you see any problem with character personalities, make sure to tell me about it. I'm really trying to hammer out any OOC stuff. Also, from now on, I'm open to suggestions.<strong>

**Got an episode or a scene that you wanna see the reader in? Tell me in the reviews and I'll write it ASAP.**

**Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed!**

**-Gray!**


	2. Happy Summerween? (Part 1)

**Happy Thanksgiving! In this chapter, the reader gets a little taste of the weird side of Gravity Falls... (Based on "Summerween")**

* * *

><p>When I arrive at the Pines' house, they're just about to leave somewhere. As soon as Aunt Susan leaves (she spent an awkward amount of time talking to Stan about their date last week), Stan commands the twins and I to get into his car, affectionately dubbed the "Stanley-mobile". Odd, I've never heard anyone refer to Stan as Stanley before...<p>

I sit squished between Dipper and Mabel. Dipper's reading from that old book that he never lets me see (and is shielding the pages from me for whatever reason) and Mabel is humming _"Don't Start Un-Believing" _by Voyage.

"So where are we going?" I ask after a while. Dipper and Mabel shrug and Stan doesn't answer. Soos is wrapped up in a handheld game device. I just look down and try to count the stains on the floor of the car.

Suddenly, Stan swerves into a parking lot and skids to a halt, taking out a sign and a few other objects with it. I have to grab Dipper's vest to keep myself from jerking forward and hitting my head.

"Heh, sorry," I apologize. I think I almost choked him. We all exit the car one-by-one and look up at Stan expectantly.

"Here we are!" Stan announces, "The Summerween Superstore!"

Dipper tilts his head to the side. "Summer what?"

Stan pulls a calendar out of God only knows where and points to today's date. "Summerween! People here love Halloween so much they celebrate it twice a year. Wouldn't you know it? It's today!"

I raise my eyebrows, inspecting the calendar. "Where did that thing even come from?" I question.

Stan pauses before saying. "Not important."

Mabel purses her lips and looks the old building up and down thoroughly. "Summerween?" she repeats. "Something about this seems… unnatural…"

"There's free candy!" Soos lures her. Mabel's eyes widen and she grabs my hand. "You've got yourself a deal!" she yells, dragging me behind her as she runs toward the store. I barely have enough time to latch onto Dipper's hand before we're both pulled across the parking lot and through the big, plexiglass doors.

"To the costume aisle!" the twins yell in unison once we're inside, and they run through the store to the back. I follow behind them at half-speed, chuckling to myself. I've known these two for a little over a week, but they already feel like my best friends. Sure Mabel is kind of crazy, and Dipper's a bit on the secretive side, but we get along extraordinarily well. It seems better than hanging out with some of the other kids around here, too.

So far, I've met Dipper, Mabel, Wendy and all her friends, Gideon (the Pines always get awkwardly quiet if I mention him...), some kid with a puppet obsession, and a boy who always carries around a turtle. Plus, Mabel told me all about some chick named Pacifica Northwest (weird name, right?) who's a total brat. Luckily, I haven't come across her yet.

"Hey, (Y/N), you coming?" Dipper calls back to me.

"Yeah, of course!" I agree, running to catch up to them. When we reach the last aisle, we marvel in the multitude of costumes to choose from: werewolves and witches and zombies, oh my!

We look through the aisle for a few minutes before something catches my fancy. I pull out a costume that looks vaguely similar to Robin. You know from Batman or Teen Titans? It's practically the same thing, but more feminine.

"What do you think?" I inquire, holding it up for the twins to see. Mabel gasps.

"It's awesome!" She punches Dipper in the shoulder playfully. "Then you could be, like, Batman or something! And I could be Starfire!" She starts bouncing up and down excitedly and Dipper calms her down.

"I think I like your other idea better," Dipper argues, gesturing to a pair of costumes: a jar of peanut butter and a jar of strawberry jelly.

"Really?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. "You'd rather be a jar of liquified nuts than a superhero?"

Dipper shrugs. "I guess. Why not?" I laugh and flick the bill of his hat down so it covers his eyes.

"You're such a dork," I tease him lovingly. Out of nowhere, my phone starts ringing. I glance at the screen, and find that it's just Aunt Susan calling. When I pick up her call, she asks me to bring her some more trick-or-treating candy as soon as possible; "some goofball-hooligans" just stole hers off the front porch. I tuck my costume under my arm and grab a bag of candy. Before I can go to check out, Mabel catches my arm.

"Tonight, six o'clock, right?" she asks. I confirm our plans with a nod. "Great!" she exclaims, hugging me. This is gonna be the best Hallo– Summerween ever! I can't wait for you to meet Candy and Grenda!"

I say my farewells to her and her brother. I pass by Soos on my way out, who's cracking up over some cheesy one-liner given by that skeleton toy. Stan is near the front, muttering to himself about scaring children. He looks at a baby near him and says, "Boo!" The poor child bursts into tears.

I check out at the register, the bored cashier looking down her nose at me in disgust the whole time. I run back to Aunt Susan's house, new-found merchandise in hand. Tonight is gonna be great!

* * *

><p>I arrive at the Pines' residence in my full costume, mask and cape on and everything. Dipper answers the door and looks me over. "Cool, uh, costume," he says.<p>

"Thanks... where's yours?" I reply, stepping into the house and setting my candy basket down inside the door.

"Oh, I'm, um, not going trick-or-treating tonight..." he admits, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You... what?! But you said you loved trick-or-treating!" I say, my eyes narrowing. Why wouldn't he go with us? Surely Mabel and her friends are coming…

He coughs into his hand, but it sounds rather forced. "I'm feeling sick," he says, "I think I ate some bad candy…" I roll my eyes and push past him to find Mabel.

"There you are!" Mabel greets me when she notices me in the doorway. She pulls me by the arm up to the two girls standing in the living room. One is a short Asian girl with pretty black hair. She introduces herself as Candy, which makes sense, seeing that she's wearing a hard-candy costume. The other is a big, burly girl named Grenda. She has a really deep voice and likes to yell a lot, but she seems alright. She's dressed as a witch. Mabel herself is dressed like strawberry jelly.

"So you guys gonna head out soon or what?" Dipper asks, appearing in the doorway to the hall. Mabel scrunches up her nose.

"I don't get it bro-bro! Where's your Summerween spirit?" she replies, poking him in the chest. He brushes her hand off.

"I'm not feeling good, Mabel. Maybe next year." Mabel seems deflated, but takes it for an answer anyway. I, however, am not that easily convinced.

Out of nowhere, the doorbell rings. Everyone looks at Dipper expectantly, since he's the closest to the door. He sighs and rolls his eyes. Despite his silent disapproval, he throws the door open, revealing a seriously tall guy in a stitched-up jacket and cowboy-ish hat. He has this weird cosmetic stuff on to make his body look black and lumpy, and he wears a yellow happy-face mask over his face.

"Trick or treat," the man rasps. Dipper nearly scoffs.

"Dude, really? You're a little old for this, man, sorry." Dipper shuts the door and turns back to us. I give him a pleading look.

"What?"

"That was a little rude, you know," I inform him candidly. Dipper shrugs.

"I told you guys, I'm just not feeling it tonight." He fake-coughs into his hand again. Mabel bops him lightly on the nose with her index finger.

"I think a little trick-or-treating will help you feel better!" she chirps in a sing-song voice. Her brother takes a step back.

"I'm not trick-or-treating tonight!" he persists. Mabel looks hurt, Candy and Grenda look as if they don't know what to say, and I just glare at my best friend. Someone raps on the door again.

"I'm not getting that," Dipper announces, walking farther into the living room.

"Fine, Dip, but I will," I counter. I walk proudly up to the front door and open it. The same man is standing there. "I'm _so _sorry for my friend here," I apologize for Dipper, "He's just feeling… sick tonight so-"

"SILENCE!" the man roars. My eyes widen in surprise and I take a step away from the door. I push Mabel a little farther backward, too, but everyone else walks closer to the door. "You have insulted me! For this you must pay… with your lives!" I look between my friends. Did we just open the door to a psychopath? All of them are focused on the man in horror… except Mabel. She smiles and coos, "Aw, what a cute little mask! You're a funny guy, aren't you?" He steps into the light. Okay, maybe he's not wearing cosmetics. His skin really does look black.

"Funny, am I?" the… the thing replies. At the worst possible time, a little boy dressed as a pirate runs up to our door.

"Twik-owr-tweat!" the boy exclaims. He's just introducing himself when the man grabs the boy with one hand and eats him whole. A scream unknowingly escapes my lips. I instinctively take Dipper and Mabel's hands. Mabel's is cold as ice whereas Dipper's is hot and clammy.

"There is only one way to avoid his fate," the monster tells us, "If you can collect 500 pieces of candy, and bring it to me before the last jack-o-melon goes out, I will let you live." As if to prove a point, he blows out the jack-o-melon previously sitting on the Pines' porch.

"H-how can we collect that much in one night?!" I say before my reason can stop me. The creature laughs and pats my head almost ironically gently. Mabel pulls me backward, out of that thing's reach.

"The choice is yours, children. Trick-or-treat or die!" It laughs maniacally, then _crawls _onto the roof of the Mystery Shack and out of sight. My legs suddenly feel like Jell-o and I collapse onto the floor.

"What… the heck… was that thing?!" I demand, looking at each of my friends.

"I think it was the… the Summerween Trickster," Dipper tells me, looking off to the side. The Trickster? That's just a myth Aunt Susan told me. And anything that comes from Aunt Susan is certainly crazy.

"B-but that can't possibly be real. Right?" None of them respond. I'm left sitting on the ground, all of my friends panicking above me. "You're telling me that monsters are real?" I ask as I stand. Dipper bites his lip nervously.

"Never mind that right now!" Mabel intervenes, taking my green-gloved hand. "We have trick-or-treating to do!"

I chuckle, about to say a sentence I never thought I would. "It's time to trick-or-treat for our lives…"

* * *

><p><strong>Note: Okay, so the next (and final) part will be up soon. Thanks for the support, guys. It means a lot. Remember: I need suggestions on episodesnon-canon scenes you want me to write. This story is completely dictated by the readers' requests. Also, does Dipper/reader (or at least implied Dipper/reader) sound okay to you? It's something I've wanted to write for a while and just wondered whether you all were interested. I can always keep it neutral (can be seen as either platonic/romantic) if you want, but I need your thoughts. Review with your opinion/anything else you wanna see in this. Thanks!**


	3. Happy Summerween? (Part 2)

You have no idea how long we've been trick-or-treating. I'm used to maybe and hour of it. We've been out here for two and a half. Mabel even convinced Dipper to put his costume on - which admittedly took a lot of pleading and puppy-dog eyes. Of course, he only really did it once we stopped by Aunt Susan's house and she only gave us one piece of candy each (I don't think she recognized me with my costume on - it wouldn't surprise me).

With a great deal of excitement, I set a piece of candy into our wheelbarrow. "499!" Mabel counts. "Only one more to go and plenty of time to spare!" I set my now-empty candy bag on the handle of the wheelbarrow.

"Good. There's that house left over there, too!" I point out, gesturing toward the last house on the street.

"Perfect, (Y/N)! C'mon, guys!" Mabel exclaims and begins running toward the house. Dipper makes mention about staying to watch the candy. I follow Mabel blindly at first, but then realize that I left my bag on the wheelbarrow. From about halfway down the street, I turn and start running back. That's when I notice Dipper isn't alone anymore. I narrow my eyes and watch from behind a bush near him.

Dipper kicks his costume behind him as Wendy and Robbie drive up.

"Are you comin' to the party?" Wendy asks.

"What're you doin' out here?" Robbie follows up, voice laced with disgust. Party? Dipper was going to a... party? So that's why he didn't wanna go trick-or-treating.

Wait. Where's the candy? I look around frantically, but can't see it anywhere. What did he do with it?!

"Cool. See you there," Wendy is saying as Robbie drives away - at a very illegal speed, I might add. Dipper turns to put his costume back on when I jump out at him from my hiding spot.

"Ah! (Y/N)! What the heck?!"

"Candy! Now! Where is it?!" I demand. I'm past the shock of him lying to Mabel and me. I just hope he didn't get us killed.

"Relax, I took care of it. It's right over-" when he pulls back the shrubs he pushed the wheelbarrow into, he stops. The candy fell into a creek. And washed away.

I feel my face pale and I feel like I'm gonna pass out. "You... You idiot!" I hiss. I don't wanna be eaten by some monster!

"We-We can fix it. Just don't tell Mabel that-"

An angry voice calls from behind us, "Don't tell Mabel what? That you lost the candy? That you're going to a party without me?" Mabel is standing behind us, face almost as red as her costume. She threw the last piece of candy at Dipper. "I can't believe you!" She sounds like she's about to cry. I put a hand on her shoulder and glare at Dipper.

"We still have some time," I reason. "But we have to hurry."

"Look!" Grenda suddenly shouts, pointing toward the Gravity Falls Junk Yard. In front of it, Old Man McGucket, the town's resident kook, holds the last lit jack-o-melon.

I look to my best friend in disdain. "If we survive this," I tell Dipper, "You owe me one _major_ explanation."

* * *

><p><strong>[One Battle Scene Later]<strong>

* * *

><p>Of course, we did survive. It all came down to a 22-year-old handyman who ate a candy-monster from the inside, out. That's not the end of it for me, though. I want a little bit of explanation. Dipper didn't look shocked at all when he found out the trickster was real; just terribly frightened.<p>

I stop him in the hall in the Mystery Shack before he goes upstairs to bed. "Hey, Dip. Can I talk to you?"

Dipper sighs. "You're gonna ask about the party, huh?"

"Try again."

Dipper looks down. "Oh. The Trickster."

I nod. "I want to know what you know about monsters. This isn't the first one you've encountered, is it?"

Dipper peeks back into the living room. Mabel, Stan, Wendy and Soos are all still watching TV and eating leftover candy. Ensuring the others are all oblivious, Dipper takes me by the arm and practically drags me upstairs and into his and Mabel's bedroom. He shuts the door behind him, and begins rummaging through his nightstand for a full minute. He's mumbling something about 'never letting Mabel look through it again' and 'she always messes up my organization.'

I clear my throat to get his attention. When he doesn't look up at me I snap, "Are you gonna tell me what's going on here or not?" Dipper finally turns back to me, his mysterious old journal in hand. He displays the cover to me, revealing a golden hand with the number 3 brandished into it. I run my fingers over it, and something about the book sends a cold shiver down my spine, like someone just pressed ice on my back.

"This, (Y/N), has been my summer mission. This journal, these monsters, and finding the author of it! Since my first week here, I learned that Gravity Falls has this… I dunno, secret dark side. Like, monsters and magic… and gnomes," he explains. He mesmerizes me by flipping through the torn, yellowed pages.

"Wait, gnomes?" I raise my eyebrows in an unspoken question..

"Yeah. Gnomes." He flips to the page specifically labeled "GNOMES". On it is a drawing of what seems to be a garden gnome, only ten times creepier.

"Definitely not a garden gnome," I read aloud. "Weakness: leaf blowers?"

Dipper laughs and rubs the back of his neck. "Yeah, that's a long story. The gnomes wanted a queen, and there was this giant, mobile gnome tower and then Mabel used a leaf blower to… wow. This must sound insane."

"You have no idea. The only reason I believe you is because I was nearly eaten alive tonight." The both of us share a moment of laughter. Then I turn serious. "When, exactly, were you planning on telling me all this, by the way?"

Dipper focuses on his shoes and shrugs. "You wouldn't have believed me. Stan doesn't, Mabel barely did. I was waiting for you to find out on your own."

"By that you mean 'be forced to trick-or-treat or die because some loser wanted to go to a party instead of hangout with his sister and his best friend."

"That's exactly what I mean." Silence.

"Okay, well… if this is your summer mission, then I'll help you," I decide firmly. Hey, I wanted adventure, right? Maybe I should be more careful what I wish for…

"You will?"

"Heck yeah! Tonight was the most fun I've had, like, ever! If you wanna put your life on the line to find that author, I know I won't be able to talk you out of it. And if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, am I right?" I nudge Dipper's arm lightly with my fist. He chuckles.

"As always, (Y/N), you're right."

"Good." A car honked outside. Probably Aunt Susan finally remembering I'm still here. I was worried I'd have to find a way to solicit a ride from Stan. "That's my ride, Dip. You stay safe 'til tomorrow, okay?" Dipper nods and watches me as I leave. I bound down the stairs, skipping every other step, say goodbye to the Pines, Wendy and Soos (in the process, Stan makes an awkward comment about me being alone with Dipper) and I run outside.

"How was trick-or-treating?" Aunt Susan asks once I'm safely inside her car.

"Honestly?" I answer, "Fantastic."

* * *

><p><strong>Now that you and the Pines are all up to speed on the mysteries of Gravity Falls, I'm gonna have a lot of fun with this ;) Also, I've decided to do some minor Dipperreader hints and have a few chapters totally dedicated to it. If you don't like it, skim over it or skip the chapter. I think I'll include Bill Cipher in the next chapter as well. He's always fun to write about.**

**Reviews and suggestions are always welcome. It really means a lot and helps my writing tremendously. See you later. And remember: '**_**The universe is a hologram, reality is an illusion, buy gold, BYE!'**_


	4. Merry Christmas!

**Look who's back** **from the dead! Just kidding. It's just that I've been quite, ****_quite _****busy recently and I haven't had writing time. Only my Christmas Supernatural story is currently ongoing. Sorry.**

**I will be back as soon as Christmas is over with a nice lil chapter about a not-so-nice lil Gideon. (See what I did there? See? Sorry about that...)**

**Anyway while we're on hiatus, I'll post this Christmas song I posted on my Tumblr account the other day. (My younger cousin wrote this).**

**This is to the tune of "Frosty the Snowman"**

Bill the Triangle

Was a cold and heartless soul.

He had a single eye and a black bow tie, arms and legs as dark as coal.

Bill the Triangle

Was a dream demon, they say.

Journal Number 2 told Gideon what to do,

So he attacked the Pines one day.

There must have been some magic in that black top hat he had,

for when he tilts it off his head, the whole world tilts instead!

Bill the Triangle

Was banished from Grunkle Stan's mind.

He said "Stop right there!

Everything you care about will all change soon sometime."

**Does this ease some of the hiatus pain? If so, you're welcome. If not, go join the Sherlock fandom; you'll learn to deal with hiatuses there!**

**Merry Christmas!**

**~Gray**


	5. What Do You Know of Gideon Gleeful? (I)

_**Dear God, it's been a LONG freaking time! I'm sorry! And I know I promised an adventure with Bill, but a close friend requested I do another encounter with Gideon. So that's how this was born. Thanks for reading. Don't forget to review with your thoughts; I'm always open for ideas and criticism.**_

* * *

><p>It's only been a few days after our Summerween incident, and walking downtown still comes with the chill of uncertainty. Just a few days ago, I stood here fighting for my life. Gnomes, monsters, stuff of legend, it's all real. All right here in front of us, and it seems like Dipper, Soos, Wendy, Mabel and I are the only people who actually acknowledge that!<p>

I keep my head down as I walk. Just get to the Shack. Just get to the Shack. My recent revelation about the supernatural has caused me to be twice as shy as I was before. I don't want to interact with anyone but Dipper and Mabel today. I just want to be nice and inconspicuous and–

"Leave me be, father! I need little of your shifting sympathies!" Someone shouts around the corner, their high-pitched screech just dripping in fury. I stop short in my path, and stray behind a hedge. I cautiously peek around to the next street. Lo and behold, Gravity Falls' resident celebrity, Lil' Gideon Gleeful, is stomping down the sidewalk toward me. And he doesn't seem to be in a good mood. In fact, he looks murderous.

I turn back, ready to find an alternative route to the Mystery Shack, and I flinch when I hear a suddenly sweet voice coo, "Why, (Y/N), is that you?" I stop short and slowly turn, facing the so-called telepath head-on.

"Hi, Gideon..." I hope he can't shift out the discomfort in my voice. There's something about him so utterly unnerving that I can barely think around him. I know he's supposed to be cute and sweet and Gravity Falls' angel, but I think his warning to stay away from the Pines disproves that. The Pines are great. If he hates someone as cool as Dipper, then what does that say about himself?

"Where are you headin' off to this morning?" Gideon asks politely.

"I'm, uh… it's nowhere important," I mumble. He doesn't need to know, right? It's none of his business, after all.

"Well, then, I was just heading out for lunch. Care to join me?" Gideon offers, holding out his hand. It's really awkward talking to him since he's a good three inches shorter than me, but twice as intimidating.

I begin to say, "Actually, I should really, uh-" But Gideon cuts me off by taking my hand and dragging me down the sidewalk in the opposite direction of the Mystery Shack.

"Fantastic!" he proclaims as if I'd actually agreed. His sudden shout turns a few heads toward us. "I needed a partner for lunch anyway!" What did I do to deserve this?

Gideon leads me all the way to the other side of town to a restaurant called The Club, despite any protests I tried to throw out on the way. Man, his grip is stronger than it looks. The building itself is even shaped like a club from a deck of cards. It's cool and all, but fancy, and I would much rather be making peanut butter sandwiches with Dipper in their kitchen or drinking Mabel's signature smoothie, the one with glitter and plastic dinosaurs. Somehow, Gideon got us into the restaurant immediately - and for free. No bill, no reservation, no wait time, no nothing! Some random couple _willingly _gave up their seat mid-meal so we could sit down. How enamored are these people that they would give up their stuff for him?!

"And so I said, '_Sign your own head-shot, lady!" _Gideon jokes. I laugh halfheartedly. I wasn't really listening, and he probably uses that line on everybody he's ever taken to lunch. I pick at a piece of [favorite food] and insert it into my mouth slowly. At least it tastes good.

"Wow, Gideon… you sure know your way around people," I flatter him in a flat voice. Ha, irony.

Gideon smiles innocently and waves off my compliment. "You're just too nice to me, (Y/N)..." he pauses to take a bite. "So how are you settling into our little town? Anything… interesting happen to you? Any new friends?"

I swallow a mouthful of water to help push down the lump in my throat. 'Anything interesting?' Does he know about the paranormal in Gravity Falls? It would make sense. He _does_ seem to be smarter than most of the rest of the townspeople, after all. And he claims to be psychic…

"Well, you know… a few new people… nothing too exciting…" I lie. He narrows his eyes for a fraction of a second before his expression returns to his typical one.

"New people? Who? Have you met the Northwest family?" he asks. I shake my head. From what I've heard of the Northwests, they aren't exactly the most kind and caring people. "What about that Gabriel Benson? He's a puppeteer." I tell him I haven't; puppets creep me out. "What about that lovely Mabel Pines?" Gideon drawls smoothly, his voice sweet like the tantalizing bait right before a death trap. I almost choke on my meal.

"I dunno. I thought you said the Pines were bad news," I point out, my eyes narrowing.

"No, you misunderstood me. Mabel is a lovely lil' marshmallow. Her brother though…" he trails off, looking down and shaking his head.

"What's wrong with Dipper?" I snap a little too defensively, and his gaze immediately meets mine again. Uh-oh. A smirk crosses his lips for a second, and a look of triumph flashes in his eyes for a brief moment before it's washed away by his mock-innocence.

"So you've met him?" Gideon asks. I straighten my back and look down at him suspiciously.

"Once or twice. He seemed alright. Why did you warn me to stay away from him?" I question. Gideon sneaks a glance to the side before telling me.

He leans forward and looks me dead in the eyes, his blue ones peering into mine. He says slowly, in a low voice, "He's dangerous. He's manipulative. He may seem good to you at first, but he can turn everyone you care about against you. He's even nearly gotten his sister killed a couple times."

"Dangerous?" I repeat.

"As a bear trap."

"And manipulative?" I question.

"He turned Mabel against me!" He suddenly shouts, drawing a few glances from the others around us. He lowers his voice immediately. "I mean, he got my Mabel thinkin' that she wasn't interested in me when she _very_ - _clearly_ - _was_." He strains out the last part through gritted teeth. Man, this kid can hold one scary grudge. It's a bit terrifying.

Dangerous? Manipulative? Back-stabbing? I don't see Dipper that way. However, isn't that the exact thing Gideon is showing about _himself _right now?

He's got quite a _dangerous_ temper.

He's got a smooth, _manipulative_ way to make people do what he wants.

He's trying to _turn me against_ Dipper Pines.

I'm having lunch with a sociopath. I'd rather take my chances with a convicted murderer. Or maybe Hannibal Lecter.

But why does he want me to hate Dipper? And how did he already seem to know I know him? It's like he's watching us all with tiny, disguised, secret cameras. But that's crazy... Right?

"Wow… I never thought of him that way," I spoke slowly, cautiously, doing my best not to spark his temper again.

"Nobody does at first. I underestimated him. I believed him to be just as kind as his sweet sister. Turns out he's much more like Stanford than I thought," Gideon grumbles, more to himself than me. His eyes take on a dark, fiery glow. "That boy has secrets, I know he does. There's no other way he could have defea- uh, outwitted me."

I laugh nervously. There's no way I'm telling this kid about the journal. What he might do with something as knowledge as powerful as that, I don't want to know. "Dipper? Secrets? Are you kidding? Have you seen the kid? He couldn't keep a secret like that if his life depended on it."

Gideon looks thoroughly confused, as if he expected me to agree with him. "What do you mean by that, (Y/N)?"

I stammer, "Well, I, I mean that he's just a boy. And what kind of deep secret can one hide in Gravity Falls?"

Gideon scoffs and reads my face like an open book. "Don't try to do that."

"Do what?"

"You're a smart one, (Y/N), surely you've seen something out of the ordinary in this here town," he almost growls out the sentence. I take too long trying to spit out 'I don't know' because he suddenly says, "You have, haven't you?"

"Well, I mean, I saw that Deputy Durland with a bell and…"

"You've seen this town's secrets after only a week! Ha! I should have known you'd be smart enough. Now, you can talk to me about it. Trust me, I know all about this town. I won't think you're crazy, doll. And those around us? The townspeople are barely quick enough to change a lightbulb," he assures me. I swallow hard, and my face begins to heat up involuntarily.

"I saw the Summerween Trickster!" I blurt, and immediately regret it. He sits up in interest, looking at me with suspicion and a bit of awe.

"And survived? How?" he demands, slightly tense.

"F-five hundred pieces of candy," I admit.

"You got five hundred pieces of candy in one night?" he asks, dumbfounded. He scans over my petrified face with his eyes and finds his answer. "You surely weren't alone, peach?"

"I was! A-aunt Susan had a lot left over from last year. I used that." As long as he doesn't know I worked with Dipper and Mabel, I should be safe from whatever wrath he holds for them and their family. For now, at least.

"You're clever. And I feel we'll be great friends, allies, my sweet dumplin'." Oh god, _please_ don't call me that. "I may have a favor to ask of you soon. Until then," he stands from the table, helps me up and (ew) takes my hand and bows all fancy-like. He leaves, and as soon as he's out of sight, I take off in the direction of the Mystery Shack. I have a question to ask of Dipper and Mabel. And a very urgent one at that.


End file.
